Self adjusting in the longterm/Benefits of a pump?

[Migey]

Heya.

Im type 1, diagnosed about a year ago, age 17. My last hba1c had me at about half a percent above what a non diabetic would be. I rarely have hypos. I take a long acting insulin every night, and short acting whenever. I entirely adjust it by myself. Since my diagnosis, my diet has not changed in the slightest, I still eat grotesque amounts of carbs and more chocolate and junk then is healthy for me, however, I am well enough able to adjust the amount of insulin I inject (and I inject whenever and however often I need to. Can be 2/3 times a day or up to 7/8, if I feel like snacking and eating a lot). And it seems to be working for me.

So what I want to ask is how sustainable is that in the long term? I recently heard another type 1 speaking about how she had to avoid fast acting sugars: why is this? Is it simply a matter of most people not being as capable as I am at adjusting and injecting regularly, or is there something else? Will I always be able to do this? I heard from one person that eventually, if I continue to inject too much insulin I will gain a great deal of weight: how true is this? I don't really care at all about my diabetes because it hasn't affected my life. I'm fine to inject and do what I need to, but I do not wish to have to change my diet at all.

An additional question: I also heard someone mention that a pump is far preferable to injecting, and they mentioned something to do with it being due to no longer needing long-acting insulin, which apparently makes a difference to some people? I've been so comfortable with injecting that I've never considered a pump (and am also unclear as to whether the NHS would pay for it). Can someone please explain to me the pros and cons of a pump, why it might be better, and if it is, why everyone doesn't use it?

Thanks for the help.

 

[noblehead]

Eating at random and consuming too many calories will eventually lead to weight gain which in turn can lead to insulin resistance, eating like this might not do too much harm in the short term but likely will in the long-term.

I tend not to go down the road about preaching diets to anyone and I can plainly see that you have a good handle on your diabetes control, however you do need to take your diabetes seriously and the best place for junk food is in the bin, however if you want to indulge have it as an occasional treat instead, better to eat a well balanced diet as this will hopefully keep you healthy and free from complications for many years to come.

I'll leave it to others to explain about pumps.

 

[novorapidboi26]

Being only a year in, its likely you still have some insulin production, you may have also heard this being referred to as the 'Honeymoon Period'.

This can make the management of blood sugars seem a lot easier. It may even continue like this for many years to come, however as you grow and get older its likely you will need to put a bit more effort in to get the control you desire...

I wouldn't say fast acting sugars are a NO NO for type 1s, its just some find they will spike really high after eating such items, or that they have a hypo later on as the glucose is in and out faster than the insulin is....this will happen to you eventually, trust me.....

injecting a lot of insulin will encourage the storage of fat, even more so on injections, as not all the insulin you inject is actually used......when using a pump however, the insulin actually used from the dose given is much higher, in the plus 90 percent.....

you do still need a background dose when on the pump, the difference is in the delivery, the pump can deliver insulin slowly over the day and also deliver short burst of insulin at meal time, so both the the long and quick requirements still exist, they are just catered for differently...

as your new to the diabetes its unlikely you would need a pump, as your doing a good job already with minimal effort, you need to meet certain criteria like lots of hypos, insulin sensitivity, dawn phenomenon, an HbA1c above 8%........you don't need to satisfy all of them together but some at least.....

the most obvious pro for the pump is the convenience of not injecting, but the real pros lie within its ability to deal with very small dose of insulin and to deal with varying digestion actions, illness, exercise, and as mentioned earlier, the insulin going in is almost 100% used as opposed to much less, maybe 50% on injections..............this will result in much smaller amounts of insulin being used, which for many, myself included resulted in a effortless loss of weight after going on the pump....

you might benefit from a pump in the future, not now likely......[or you would, everyone would, but its not required]......

I think you have your age and fitness on your side currently, which is brilliant, so keep up the good work and you will be set up perfectly for when the trickier times arrive......

 

[mrman]

as others have said, you may still be producing some of your own insulin which does make things a lot easier. If your eating lot, and burning alot off through excercise etc not a problem. Same as a non diabetic, overeating eventually will cause weight gain. How often do you test, as if only before meals, then you could be missing the spikes in levels. I eat alot of carbs and diet hasn't really changed since diagnosis either. I have always opted for diet drinks, wholegrain foods etc. can easily carb count, but, if I was to eat high sugar foods, they would definately raise my levels quicker than the insulin action,but, be normal by next meal. What high sugary foods are you eating? As, if they are also high in fat that will slow down the carb absorbtion.
As for the pump, I was given one to cope with dp (dawn phenomenon) where my liver dumps a load of.glucose in me between 3~7am. This could not be controlled by basal injection as if I had enough to cope with that, there would be too much basal in me both before that and after. Even now still have considerably more basal during those hours on my hourly rate. But, after that my basal rates are alot lower. By having the pump im able to keep levels between 4~7 the majority of the time both before and 2 hours after eating.
Long may your control last.

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